Preservationists get time to save Moline depot

MOLINE (AP) — Preservationists are getting more time to raise money to save the historic Moline train depot.

The Moline City Council says they have until Dec. 18 to raise $155,000 in pledges to help cover the cost of moving the building to Western Illinois University's campus in the Quad Cities.

Barbara Sandberg of the Moline Preservation Commission says the reprieve isn't very long. She told The (Moline) Dispatch on Wednesday that Moline preservationists have secured about $30,000 in pledges from individuals. She says they're now working on contacting corporate sponsors.

The 112-year-old Davenport, Rock Island & Northwestern depot stands in the way of plans for an Interstate 74 bridge. The preservationists hope to move it to the WIU campus, where it would be renovated as a welcome center.